After my teaching spell at Leot I was ready for some riding, I was hard to leave Luang Prabang as I made so many new friends and really enjoyed teaching there, a big thanks to Alan and the Leot team for making me feel so welcome. The Children just want to learn it's inspirational.

I decided to take the off road route to Phonsavan which became a bit of a dash as I dropped in on some friends to say goodbye, it was a day of river crossings, wet feet and wobbly boats along with savvy Children trying to exploit the stranded farang.

The House I stayed in last weekend was torn apart for for an extension to be built for the new baby, the whole village was there lending a hand, the ladies laid on the food whilst the men done the construction, it was like clock work everybody knew their place.

Extension going up.

I said my goodbyes and headed up to see HP2 and say good bye to him, then I headed for the hills.

Fast graded roads.

It was about 150ks with lots of rivers, fast gravel and bone shaking wash board mud and heaps of dust, with my late departure it became a race against time as I did not want to ride at night.

Check out the trail.

But the views are stunning so I find myself stopping a lot to take it in...

Wow.
Little villages in the valleys.

Then the rivers started, I could not cross it was to deep, but a little further upstream where some boats manned by Children, we basically dragged the bike on board an set of across the river the boat was wobbling and I thought we were going in so I closed my eyes and put my head on the handlebars and prayed we would make it.....we did, the the little people wanted 500,000 kip for their trouble I got them down to 50,000 which is a good for 15 minutes work, meanwhile I was left exhausted from the bike dragging in that heat, no pictures for a while as its river after river crossing, some long some deep all slippery and I hate having wet feet.

River crossing.

Then I get to a section that's being upgraded and have to wait whilst the plant operators make me a ramp.
these boys work these like their hands.

Cleared that then I get this section.....man I tired.
Not easy riding.

This turning out to be a hard day for me, but then it just all opens up...flat ground in great big valley.
One minute in the hills the next open spaces.

I pass an old Air America site, it's beautiful up here and the road is fast...
Control tower.

So it's flat out here and I'm not thinking about my wet feet anymore.

Great place for an airfield.

I'm not slowing down for anything and the Lifan is taking a real pounding.
Army bridge.

It's a great spot up here and something catches my eye of to the left...Horses , first one I have seen since I arrived.

Horses??

Yes it's a Horse

Back onto the Tarmac and Phonsavan is close, the war scrap is everywhere.
Russian Tank?

I arrive in Phonsavan just as it gets dark and once again it's bloody cold, I find a little guest house for 50,000 kip a night, eat the food joy had prepared me that morning, drunk an energy milkshake and fell asleep in my riding gear......boots where left outside along with the socks.

That was one hard day and tomorrow was going into the unknown with an early start. sweet dreams.
Right through the middle.

I checked the bike in the morning and every spoke was loose, the wheel had been hitting the swing arm....